Being a parent is hard enough without the financial strain that college can place on an individual. Just ask Alisha Bullington; she will tell you the struggles of juggling family life and being a first-generation college student. In the Education Program at Wytheville Community College (WCC), Bullington is grateful for the support she has received from scholarships made available through the WCC Educational Foundation and for the encouragement given as a participant of WCC’s Project AIM. Scholarships have allowed Bullington to attend college without the burden of debt.

Bullington stated, “It would have been too hard for my family to pay for my tuition and my books. Because of the help from the WCC Educational Foundation, I only had to pay for a few of my books.”

Even with the financial support, the struggles of being a college student were compounded with the additional stress of pregnancy. Bullington felt that it was too hard to continue her education while expecting, but the advising staff of Project AIM encouraged her to stick with it and continue her education.

 “While I was pregnant I wanted to drop out, but Debbie Puckett, a Project AIM counselor, kept encouraging me and making me feel special with the extra help that I needed,” says Bullington.

Though she struggled with the priorities of life and college, Bullington found that the instructors at WCC were friendly and were quick to get back to her when she needed help in her classes. Even the speech class, Intro to Communication, that she had dreaded turned out to be one of her favorites.  Bullington credits the class and Tracy McAfee, Associate Professor of Communication Studies and Theatre, for pushing her out of her comfort zone.

 “Speech class stuck with me the most. I dreaded going to class, but I feel that I benefited the most from the skills and knowledge I gained from the class,” states Bullington.

As a member of the Phi Theta Kappa honor society at WCC, Bullington is poised to complete her associate degree this spring and transfer to Emory and Henry College. With plans to become a guidance counselor, Bullington wants to help children succeed just as WCC counselors and advisors have helped her.

 “I didn’t have the best childhood growing up; I want to be there to help kids,” said Bullington.  “That’s what motivates me to pursue my education to become a guidance counselor.”

Since 1970 WCC’s Project AIM has given students the resources and support to rise above their circumstances. As a federally funded TRIO program, Student Support Services, or “Project AIM,” has provided services to hundreds of WCC students. The program’s mission is to provide support services to eligible WCC students to enhance academic performance with the goal of increasing their retention, graduation and transfer rates. For more information about Project AIM visit www.wcc.vccs.edu/project-aim or contact Charlotte Mowery, Project AIM Coordinator, at (276)223-4756 or cmowery@wcc.vccs.edu.

The WCC Education Foundation and the WCC Scholarship Foundation provide funding that enhances the work of WCC and provides needed scholarships to eligible students. Every year the WCC Educational Foundation and the WCC Scholarship Foundation award over $900,000 in scholarships. To learn about how you can give to the WCC Educational Foundation or the WCC Scholarship Foundation visit www.wcc.vccs.edu/ways-to-give or call (276) 223-4771.

###